A gap-year intern of MEDA International Missions shares her story of traveling to the department of Intibucá in Honduras, where she served alongside a pastor and graduate of SEPE and experienced the joys and challenges that accompany Christian fellowship.
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We spent the first weekend in June in the department of Intibucá where one of SEPE’s seminary students lives. We drove the windy mountain highway, trying to avoid every pothole and awing at the beauty God created in mountain peaks and vast views. After arriving in the city of San Juan, we met José - the seminary graduate - and his family and drove together to the village of Santo Domingo. The gravel roads and steep hills were filled with more potholes, but about half an hour later we arrived at the home of an older man, Luis. We spent a few hours there and made lunch in his outdoor kitchen. We prepared meat, made chismol, and cooked homemade corn tortillas over the grill. When all was ready, we sat around the long table on the front porch and ate together. We then drove further into the village and visited a few homes. One home we went to was that of a Catholic family. As we listened to José share the gospel with them, I saw one of the men recording the message on his phone. Though their hearts seemed closed to the gospel, this gave me hope and reminded me to pray for their souls. At another house in the village, we had the opportunity to help with a home church. José preached while several of us led a lesson time with the kids. We sang with them, helped them memorize Romans 5:8, taught them the gospel, played games together, and made bracelets to help them remember the gospel. We were a blessing to those kids, but they blessed all of us just the same.
On Sunday morning, we returned to our new friends’ home and ate baleadas with them, a meal that Luis’ wife, Doris, had begun preparing around 5:00 that morning. After breakfast, we took a short walk down the hill to attend the church service at Santo Domingo. While José preached, our group led the kids in another children’s lesson outside. We returned to the couple’s home for lunch, and little by little I began understanding the bigger reason why we were there. It wasn’t just to help with a media project or to experience the culture of village life in Honduras, although we certainly did that. I heard about how difficult José’s ministry had been lately as he sought to faithfully study and preach the truth of God’s Word. Persecution had come, and he’d been discouraged. I realized that simply having a group of cheerful brothers and sisters in Christ serving alongside him for a weekend must have buoyed his spirits. I talked with Doris, and as she told me her story, I could tell she was lonely. She and her husband live far from family, in the middle of nowhere, it seems. Neighbors visit every now and then, but a lot of life is lived alone. I imagine that a lively houseful must have been a huge blessing to them. We drove away after a last meal together, leaving them tearful in the driveway.
In San Juan we joined José and his family for their church’s evening service. The church building was simple, and the service was small, but José preached the Word faithfully. Going through town that night, we drove by a Pentecostal church. The building was full of people eager to hear a woman prophesying, a sad picture of a hungry city looking to be satisfied by a false hope when the precious gospel was being preached only a few blocks away week by week. Seeing José’s commitment to the truth of Scripture encouraged me to cling tightly to Christ and His precious Word, whether or not it’s popular and whatever the cost may be.
I was impacted by the limited resources of the villagers in Santo Domingo. I saw families whose only source of electricity was solar power. I saw kitchens without refrigerators. I saw chickens walking around inside homes. I saw children hungry for attention. I saw the trivial things grow small, as they should be; relationships and God’s truth became more and more precious.
On a relational level, I wish I had been more purposeful to invest in my new friends right at the start. I didn’t talk much with Doris until shortly before we left, and what a sweet conversation that was! I was reminded to set aside my fear of making mistakes when I speak Spanish and to go out of my way to offer encouragement. I was convicted when the Lord showed me a selfish desire in my heart, one for an easier side of ministry. In many ways, this rural place seemed spiritually dry. Gospel work is slow, and church services are small. Yet I should not just look for the easiest ministry, the ministry I think will be the most fun or will bring the most fruit. Wherever the Lord leads me I will go, and by His grace I will be faithful right there.
This post has been revised to protect the names of the individuals involved.